Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fans unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m/7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fans unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m/7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fans unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m/7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fans unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m/7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fans unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m/7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fans unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m/7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fans unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m/7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fans unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m/7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fans unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m/7:30 a.m. daily)

Redskins Nation is a half-hour show devoted to giving fans unfiltered access to the day's events at Redskins Park. Hosted by Larry Michael, the show features Redskins players, coaches and sit-down interviews with team officials. (Show re-airs at 11:30 p.m/7:30 a.m. daily)

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In Day One, the team focused primarily on adding offensive weapons at the receiver position. The Redskins locked up two quality weapons, as Kyle and Mike Shanahan continue to makeover the roster with the pieces they want.

Now the emphasis in the market seems to have shifted to the defensive side of the ball with the signing of Pro Bowl safety Brandon Meriweather.

Whether it’s playing up close to the line as a run enforcer, or playing centerfield against the pass, Meriweather classified himself as a playmaker, and his numbers support it. He was brought in with the opportunity to rebuild his young career after a disappointing 2011 that saw him cut and used incorrectly by the Chicago Bears.

Although not as great, the team still has a need at safety, and could address it through free agency or the draft. At last check, LaRon Landry is still a free agent, but his health is an obvious concern, having only played in 17 of the last 32 games.

The team may also choose to address the issue internally, and go with a combination of DeJon Gomes and Reed Doughty. Given the injuries at the position last year, expect at least one more face to be added to the mix at some point.

My Fair Warning Comes To Fruition:

As I noted in yesterday’s recap piece, the Redskins’ website and associated social media platforms only report on official dealings (when pen is put to paper). News is official, and nothing is official until it’s signed by all parties and approved by the league.

The poster child for this point is new San Diego Chargers’ wide receiver Eddie Royal. In the opening hours of free agency, the team was rumored to be in on Garçon (true), Josh Morgan (true), and Royal at the receiver position.

While the team may have been interested in Royal, nothing was ever consummated, and the reports and rumors that he had signed were simply not true. I’m not calling anyone for journalistic integrity, but if there’s no factual backing, it’s not news.

So just remember the next time you hear an Eddie Royal to the Redskins rumor. There may be elements to a rumor that end up being true, but you can count on Redskins.com, Blog, Twitter and Facebook being accurate and official.

Which Redskins Are Left Unclaimed:

Another day of free agency passed, and none of the newest Redskins big free agents have signed on anywhere. From the former Redskins free agent file, we had reports of Chris Horton signing with the Giants after sitting out the 2011 season. Former Redskins special teamer Rock Cartwright also reportedly agreed to a deal with the 49ers, continuing his long career as a specialist.

Now for the updated Pro Football Focus rankings of the Redskins players currently in free agency. Each player took a jump up the list of 75 available free agents after players in front of them were signed yesterday. Lots of big fish still on the board:

18. London Fletcher, LB

So it’s unlikely that Fletcher makes a move to anywhere but Washington, but if you’re looking for an excellent linebacker on a short term deal then why not make him an offer he can’t refuse. Not every free agent move needs to be with the future in mind.

With four linebackers ranked ahead of him on the list, the market still hasn’t been set for Fletcher’s next contract. On the obvious upside is his leadership and NFL-leading 211 tackles last season, on top of a phenomenal career. The only downside is his age, and it’s a big one. Fletcher is going to bide his time on this one, and so are the Redskins, so don’t panic yet about the Redskins patriarch. When the market unfolds, he could still be anchoring the Redskins defense.

28. Laron Landry, S

Maybe the biggest question mark in free agency. Talent would see him in the Top 10, but has a huge red flag regarding his health. Will avoiding surgery prove the smart long term move?

37. O.J. Atogwe

A safety with good range, Atogwe was wasted a bit being used in the box on 21.7% of all his defensive snaps in 2011. He becomes the top safety on the market.

With the aforementioned signing of Meriweather to start at either safety position, the Redskins are presumably out of the market on at least one of these players. Injuries played a devastating role on last year’s record, and the Redskins seem determined to exorcise those demons in 2012.

I encourage you to look over the rest of the list and see what’s left in free agency. By my count, none of the Redskins on the 2011 squad have signed with any other teams yet. If and when they do, we’ll let you know.

Remember that free agency happens like the draft: different teams target different positions, and when a run is made on one position, the big dominoes fall fast. There is always a second, third and fourth tier to free agency, and the market will play out over time.

If there’s someone you have an eye on, be sure to share it in the comment section below.

12 Responses
to “Where The Redskins Stand In Free Agency”

Please find a way to keep LaRon Landry. Don’t make the same mistake like we did Carlos Roger. Now hes a PRO BOWL CB. WE don’t want LaRon to go to another team and be a beast for that team. We all know he’s a beast on the field when he is healthy. At least sign him for 2 years…. Hurry up and give Fred Davis a contract and franchise LaRon.

I think keeping LaRon would be very important. But, remember he has been hurt. On the other hand, there is absolutly nothing wrong with London Fletcher. He lead the league in tackles, not to mention that he leads our defense. So, I think that he would be the one, that would be more inportant to secure at this point in time.

Laron Landry doesn’t want to be with the Redskins anymore. It’s not a matter of fact as the Redskins letting him walk but rather his unwillingness to re-sign. It would be nice to get Aaron Ross. I like the Meriweather Signing.

I’m kind of disappointed in the “we need a RT” talk. Brown played better and him missing the final games seemed to be gamesmanship in my eyes. If Brown played those games, we lost a 5th round pick and considering how Shanahan has proved he knows talent from round 1 to 7, that could wind up being a zone blocker on the OL.

If there are two people on defense that I think we absolutely need to keep it would be both Landry and fletcher. I do not believe any linebacker is more important than a tackling linebacker and fletcher clearly conquers everyone on tackles. Landry is an absolute monster…pair him up with merriweather and receiver will be terrified. The our focus could be on the o-line and CB in the draft. Just my thoughts…God Bless all!